NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Public Advocate Jumaane Williams is ending rumors that he’ll be tapped to serve as incoming Gov. Kathy Hochul’s lieutenant governor.
Williams on Wednesday said he wasn't interested in the post following an amicable meeting with Hochul Tuesday.
“The lieutenant governor’s position is not one that I’m seeking,” Williams said during an appearance on PIX 11 Wednesday morning.
Hochul, an upstate politician, has said she plans to pick someone from New York City for the number-two position. In addition to Williams, she has reportedly been considering Bronx state Sen. Jamaal Bailey and, state Sen. Brian Benjamin, of Harlem.
Williams, who ran for lieutenant governor in 2018 with a campaign that was intensely critical of Hochul, said the two had a “productive” discussion on issues facing New Yorkers.
“The conversations I had with the Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, I think, were very productive...I think she’s genuinely interested in moving the state forward and was genuinely interested in what I had to say and the solutions that I’ve been presenting for quite some time,” Williams said.
The topic of the lieutenant governor “wasn’t the conversation,” he added.
Hochul has been meeting with officials in New York City before she officially takes office on Tuesday, Aug. 24. She and Mayor Bill de Blasio also met Tuesday, during what the two also described as a “productive” talk over cookies and pastries.
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